The official Walt Disney World Resort website has been updated to advise that Country Bear Jamboree located at the Magic Kingdom will be closed for refurbishment beginning September 1, 2012 and lasting through October 17. It should be noted that when the notice was first posted, it began on October 1, so there is a small chance that the start date may actually precede September.

Walt Disney World Cast Member Dave provided confirmation via Twitter this evening that beginning March 2, 2012 and through March 17, 2012, all Magic Kingdom monorail service will be suspended daily from 11:30 am through 6 pm. This is being done primarily so that construction work related to the Grand Floridian DVC expansion can be completed, although ‘planned maintenance’ is also mentioned in the notice.

In response to the reduction of service, more buses and water transportation will be put on line to accommodate guests traveling between the Magic Kingdom and the TTC and area resorts. Monorail service between the TTC and Epcot will not be affected by this change.

With what was initially slated to be a week-or-so closure for the Liberty Square riverboat at the Magic Kingdom is now turning into a multi-month closure. The official Walt Disney World website is now reporting that the Liberty Belle attraction will now re-open on May 21, 2012. The announcement comes a day after the attraction had closed for its refurbishment.

Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Be the first to know when changes that potentially affect your trip occur by signing up with ReSearch! The only Disney Parks refurbishment schedule that covers attractions, dining and resorts, lets you drill down to your own specific dates and even emails you when your dates are affected — and it’s completely free!

Some unfortunate news comes way of the official Walt Disney World Resort website today as it notes that the re-opening of Dumbo has been postponed from its original re-opening date of February 18 until March 12 March 31, 2012. The news is unexpected as construction has wasted no time in dismantling the attraction from its current location behind Cinderella Castle to its new location at the Storybook Circus area of the New Fantasyland Expansion, in the area formerly occupied by Mickey’s Toontown Fair.

Disney and General Motors have renewed their long-term business relationship with a new multi-year corporate alliance. As part of the new agreement, GM will be actively involved with Walt Disney Imagineering in the development of a re-imagined, design-centric Test Track experience. The refurbished Test Track will be presented by one of GM’s most famous brands, Chevrolet. As Chevrolet marks its 100th anniversary, the new alliance agreement enables General Motors to tell its story in new and exciting ways to millions of Guests from around the world and continue as the official vehicle sponsor of Walt Disney World Resort.

The Walt Disney World official website has recently added a couple of entries to its operation calendar for early 2012.

The first of the new closures announced is that of the ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure’ which is slated to join the previously announced Backlot Studios Tour closure beginning on January 13 and re-opening on March 11.

Also re-opening on March 11, but closing on February 26, 2012 is the ‘Magic Carpets of Aladdin’ attraction in Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland.

House of Innoventions at Epcot’s Innoventions East is now closed, presumably due to the recent announcement that Green Builder Media will be transitioning it into what will be known as the ‘VISION House.’ No specific date has been provided for the re-opening other than an expected time frame of May, 2012.

The Studio Backlot Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is now slated to close on February 13, 2012 and re-open on March 11.

There is also a minor quiet pool refurb scheduled at the Beach Club Villas on December 14 and 15.

The official Walt Disney World website is now reporting a temporary closure for Kali River Rapids at Disney’s Animal Kingdom beginning January 23, 2012 and re-opening on February 10.

In addition, we have learned of additional counter service and dining location closures which include the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor in the Magic Kingdom (closed January 9 through February 17) and an extension of Tutto Italia Ristorante in the Italy Pavilion at Epcot. The restaurant is now scheduled to close a day earlier and re-open a month later.

Now appearing on the official Walt Disney World calendar, we have a few key operational updates affecting guests in early 2012.

Perhaps the most riveting (if such a word could be used) is that of Dumbo, which is now scheduled to close on January 9 and re-open on February 18 March 12. Reasons aren’t generally given for the refurbs publicly, but there’s a slight possibility this may be for its move over to the Storybook Circus section of the New Fantasyland Expansion, which Walt Disney World has announced will open in early/spring 2012 with a relocated Dumbo coupled with a duplicated version that will have vehicles rotating in a clockwise direction, a first for the attraction anywhere in the world.

In an effort to be the first to bring the news to you, we’ve been clubbing you over the head with refurbishment updates at the Walt Disney World Resort lately and, unfortunately, we’re not quite done. In addition to what we’ve announced recently, we now have the following announced temporary closures for dining experiences:

At the Magic Kingdom, Tomorrowland’s The Lunching Pad will be closing on August 29, 2011 with an expected re-opening date of September 17, 2011. Casey’s Corner on Main Street USA is scheduled to close on August 30, 2011 with a re-opening date of September 15, 2011.